DAY 2Melbourne

Today’s sightseeing tour includes landmarks such as Parliament House and the Shrine of Remembrance, a tribute to Australia’s war heroes. Visit beautiful FITZROY GARDENS, then drive past the lush Royal Botanic Gardens. You’ll soon discover the differing architectural influences of this city as you see the Victorian Arts Centre and other buildings of significance. We also stop at one of the country’s leading OPAL COMPANIES to discover how the beautiful gems are mined. Then, enjoy a truly unique lunch experience on board the historic COLONIAL TRAMCAR RESTAURANT as it winds its way through the streets of Melbourne. Tonight’s optional excursion to see the world-famous Penguin Parade on Phillip Island is highly recommended. (Breakfast, Lunch)

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DAY 3Melbourne-Hobart

DAY 4Hobart. Excursion to Port Arthur

Today’s tour of the scenic Tasman Peninsula features the blowhole, the Devil’s Kitchen, and the Tasman Arch coastal formations. Visit PORT ARTHUR, which began housing convicts in the 1830s. A guided tour of the penal settlement shows you the ruins of the 4-story penitentiary and the model prison—grim reminders of Australia’s days as a penal colony. Also stop at the TASMANIAN DEVIL CONSERVATION PARK to see the famous Tasmanian Devil, the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. (Breakfast, Lunch)

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DAY 5Hobart-Adelaide

Today, fly via Melbourne to Adelaide. Upon arrival, take a brief orientation tour along the wide tree-lined streets and well-manicured gardens. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are at your leisure. (Breakfast)

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DAY 6Adelaide. Excursion to Kangaroo Island

Early this morning, depart Adelaide and travel by motorcoach and ferry to KANGAROO ISLAND, one of the world’s last unspoiled habitats. Visit SEAL BAY with a national park ranger to see a colony of rare Australian sea lions. Explore FLINDERS CHASE NATIONAL PARK, a sanctuary for native Australian animals, including kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. Stop here for a walk on REMARKABLE ROCKS, with stunning views of the sea. You will also take a boardwalk down a rugged cliff face to ADMIRALS ARCH, a unique rock formation and home to a colony of New Zealand fur seals, which can be seen resting on the rocks and playing in the waves. Return to Adelaide late this evening. (Breakfast, Lunch)

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DAY 7Adelaide-Ghan Train

This morning, enjoy free time to relax. Later, a highlight of your vacation begins as you board the GHAN TRAIN for an overnight journey that offers a fascinating perspective of the Outback. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

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DAY 8Ghan Train-Alice Springs

You are scheduled to arrive in Alice Springs midday. Upon arrival, visit the ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR SERVICE and the SCHOOL OF THE AIR to appreciate how medical and education services are provided to those living in remote regions. Then, on to Anzac Hill, a tribute to the war heroes of Australia and New Zealand. You will also visit the historic OLD TELEGRAPH STATION to learn how early settlers developed communications. This evening, enjoy a truly unique Aussie experience—an OUTBACK BARBECUE featuring a meal of typical campfire fare, fascinating tales of the Outback, and Aboriginal folklore. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 9Alice Springs-Ayers Rock

Today, fly to the “Center of Australia.” Travel to a popular lookout to enjoy views of the magnificent Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), a geological splendor of some 36 brilliant monoliths. There is time to take photos before returning to “Sunset Strip” for a DRINK and the changing colors of the rock. (Breakfast)

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DAY 10Ayers Rock-Cairns

Your Outback adventure continues this morning. For an unforgettable experience, you may choose to rise early for an optional camel ride to watch the sunrise at Uluru (Ayers Rock). Then, enjoy a TOUR around the base of Uluru, learning of its significance to the Anangu Aboriginal people. For an even more amazing view of Uluru, perhaps take an optional aircraft ride. Later, fly to Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. (Breakfast)

Ayers or Uluru?

Almost everything has two names in the Outback these days. Ayers Rock, the symbol of the Red Center, is now more correctly known by its traditional Aboriginal name, Uluru. The famous monolith sprouting from the desert had been given its stolid English title in 1873 by the first European explorer to clap eyes on it in 1873, Ernest Giles, in honor of his dull British benefactor, Sir Henry Ayer. But for all of 20,000 years before that, the local inhabitants had called it Uluru (apparently after one of the ancient clans in the area) and regarded it as a sacred site.

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DAY 11Cairns. Great Barrier Reef Excursion

Board a fast catamaran for a CRUISE to Green Island, one of the many tropical islands on Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef. Here you can choose to SNORKEL, take a GLASS-BOTTOM BOAT TOUR, or walk through the island’s cool rainforest. This afternoon, your Tour Director can assist you with a variety of optional activities, including crocodile spotting. Tonight, join a unique dinner event at TJAPUKAI ABORIGINAL CULTURAL PARK for an interactive, entertaining portrayal of the culture, dance, and folklore of this indigenous tribe. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 12Cairns-Darwin

This morning, enjoy a special visit to CAIRNS TROPICAL ZOO for your chance to meet Australia’s native animals. You’ll also enjoy breakfast in the park, a talk by a wildlife keeper, and will have the opportunity to have your picture taken with a koala! Afterward, you may choose to join our optional trip to Kuranda via the old scenic rail route. See magnificent scenery, lush rainforests, and twisting waterfalls from the comfort of a restored, historic mountain train. For the return journey you may choose to take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Tonight, fly to the top end of Australia to Darwin, famous for its strategic importance during WWII. (Breakfast)

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DAY 13Darwin-Kakadu National Park

Today, see giant termite nests on the way to KAKADU NATIONAL PARK. Explore parts of nearly 7,300 square miles of unspoiled waterways with a rich heritage of Aboriginal culture and stop at the Bowali Visitor Centre to learn about Kakadu’s habitats. CRUISE the wetlands, where you may see crocodiles, and walk ancient trails to see Aboriginal rock petroglyphs. An optional light-aircraft flight over the park should not be missed. Dinner tonight is at your hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner) NOTE:During the wet season (December through April) it can be difficult to see crocodiles in the wild.

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DAY 14Kakadu National Park-Darwin

Depart your hotel this morning and stop at WINDOWS ON THE WETLANDS VISITOR CENTRE, an interactive display of Kakadu fauna. Return to Darwin for sightseeing. See the elegant colonial architecture of the city’s historic buildings that survived Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Visit the splendid BOTANIC GARDENS and beautiful East Point, an area rich in WWII memorabilia. Also visit the ART GALLERY to view fine collections of Aboriginal art. (Breakfast)

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DAY 15Darwin-Sydney

DAY 16Sydney

Explore one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Visit the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a guided tour of its interior and theaters. Travel to Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair in the city’s BOTANIC GARDENS for a great photo opportunity and sweeping views of the harbor, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge. Visit world-famous Bondi Beach for an insider’s tour of BONDI SURF BATHERS’ LIFE SAVING CLUB with one of the lifesavers. Along the way, learn about the history of the club and enjoy a lifesaving demonstration! See some of the city’s suburbs and the historic Rocks area, home to Sydney’s original convicts. For a truly memorable experience, enjoy lunch as you CRUISE on Sydney Harbour. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Sydney Harbor

Few visitors realize that Sydney’s most iconic landmark, the Opera House, was almost never completed. The radical design by Danish architect Jørn Utzon was chosen from an international competition in 1957, even though engineers at the time had no idea how to build it. Within five years, the prototype sails had to be taken down and totally recommenced. Budget blowouts dogged the project until the perfectionist Utzon resigned over cost-cutting measures. Construction continued anyway, with the interior design modified. The embittered Utzon, however, refused to visit Sydney again, and has still never seen the finished building hailed regularly as one of the seven architectural wonders of the modern world. A recent reconciliation occurred when an interior annex was completed to Utzon’s original design, but the architect was too old to visit; he sent his son to the Opera House instead.

Bondi Beach

As the Harbor stretches its turquoise tentacles into every inner suburb of Sydney, the 70 beaches that lace the city’s edges have created a hedonistic surf culture on a par with Rio and Waikiki. The most beloved of the urban beaches is Bondi (pronounced Bond-eye). Here, between sandstone headlands at the eastern fringe of the city, the long glassy rollers of the Pacific Ocean thunder onto a half-mile of golden powdery sand. In the 1920s, Bondi was a modest version of Coney Island, where city dwellers in need of fresh air would travel here by a rattling tram to cool off with an ice cream or cheap fish-and-chips by the sea. In the 1950s, the surf craze arrived from Hawaii, luring thousands with their boards into the crashing surf. And since the 1990s, Bondi has gentrified, attracting millionaires and movie stars.

The World Heritage List includes over 800 properties with cultural and/or natural heritage of global significance.

DAY 17Sydney

Enjoy a full day at leisure. Perhaps join our optional excursions to the Blue Mountains or to Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s leading wine-growing regions. You can even climb to the top of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge! Your Tour Director will help you make the most of this exciting city. Tonight, enjoy a special dinner at THE WATERFRONT RESTAURANT with fantastic views of the highlights of Sydney. (Breakfast, Dinner)

DAY 19Mount Cook-Queenstown

Visit the SIR EDMUND HILLARY ALPINE CENTER for unique insight into the history and culture of this region. Weather permitting, you may choose an optional ski-plane flight that lands on the 18-mile-long Tasman Glacier—or a thrilling helicopter ride. Later, drive to Queenstown, the “Adventure Capital of the World.” This evening, CRUISE across Lake Wakatipu on board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and take in views of the rugged Southern Alps. Stop at Walter Peak High Country Farm for DINNER and a FARM DEMONSTRATION that provides a glimpse of life on the farm. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 20Queenstown. Cruise on Milford Sound

Today, travel into FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK through the Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound. Boasting some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world, this region of New Zealand has been honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. CRUISE on the fjord, with sheer rock walls rising thousands of feet from the water’s great depths. (Breakfast, Lunch)

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The World Heritage List includes over 800 properties with cultural and/or natural heritage of global significance.

DAY 21Queenstown

A full day at leisure for your own discoveries. Consider an optional visit to a local vineyard and sample some of the prize vintages, or maybe a thrilling jet-boat ride on the Kawarau and Dart Rivers. Your Tour Director will have suggestions to help you plan your day to explore, shop, and enjoy optional activities. (Breakfast)

DAY 23Rotorua

This morning, start with a visit to the AGRODOME to learn more about one of the country’s major industries—sheep! Continue on to RAINBOW SPRINGS to view native bush and wildlife, including a walk through the kiwi bird enclosure. Last stop is TE PUIA, Rotorua’s most prominent thermal area with New Zealand’s largest geyser, boiling mud pools, and silica terraces. The afternoon and evening are at your leisure. You may wish to board a floatplane for flightseeing of this beautiful area, join a New Zealand family for dinner in their home, or indulge yourself in the relaxing hot springs, sumptuous spa treatments, and massage therapies at the Polynesian Spa. (Breakfast)

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DAY 24Rotorua-Waitomo-Auckland

Leave Rotorua and cross the Mamaku Ranges to the famous WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES. Experience a guided tour through the limestone chambers and passages of the cavern. Take a silent boat trip through the Glowworm Grotto as you glide quietly beneath the lights of thousands of glowworms suspended from the cave ceiling. Continue on to Auckland. This evening, your Tour Director hosts a farewell dinner. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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